It's one thing for the deer to scrounge around in her yard, eating all her flowers.

It's quite another for them to come up to the front step and ring her doorbell.

"I just wish they'd stop," she said, looking very cross.

She's tried modifying her doorbell in order to make it harder for them to press, but to no avail.

Once, they rang it in the early morning. So, she came out with her cane and cursed them.

However, when the doe started to snort and scratch the ground, she figured that was enough.

"Auntie, don't do that," her nephew warned. "Don't you know they could put a hoof right through you?"

Well, still, she thought, there's got to be a better answer. The deer fence hasn't worked, nor has the special spray from the nursery.

In 2008, Kenora council approved a $500 fine for anyone feeding wildlife, except birds, to discourage residents from contributing to the problem of excess deer in town. The Ministry of Natural Resources has also made additional deer tags available to hunters in recent years.

Municipal bylaws prohibit deer hunting in urban and developed rural areas within city boundaries where discharging firearms isn't allowed.

Last winter, MNR biologists estimated the Kenora area's deer population was continuing to decline, following a peak in 2006-07.